COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $33.5714.

Several brokerages have commented on CDP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of COPT Defense Properties from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on COPT Defense Properties from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on COPT Defense Properties in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $35.00 price target for the company. New Street Research set a $33.00 price objective on COPT Defense Properties in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of COPT Defense Properties in a report on Wednesday, October 8th.

COPT Defense Properties Trading Up 0.3%

CDP stock opened at $30.73 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 2.96 and a quick ratio of 2.96. COPT Defense Properties has a 1-year low of $23.92 and a 1-year high of $33.49. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $28.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $28.55. The company has a market capitalization of $3.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.01 and a beta of 0.93.

COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.01. COPT Defense Properties had a net margin of 19.23% and a return on equity of 9.38%. The firm had revenue of $188.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $187.63 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.65 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. COPT Defense Properties has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.690-2.710 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 0.670-0.690 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that COPT Defense Properties will post 2.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

COPT Defense Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.305 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. COPT Defense Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 91.73%.

Insider Activity at COPT Defense Properties

In other news, Director Lisa G. Trimberger sold 4,896 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.72, for a total value of $150,405.12. Following the sale, the director directly owned 20,287 shares in the company, valued at $623,216.64. The trade was a 19.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new stake in COPT Defense Properties during the third quarter worth approximately $353,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its holdings in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 262,044 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,641,000 after purchasing an additional 12,517 shares during the period. Dark Forest Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP now owns 211,410 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,144,000 after purchasing an additional 14,091 shares during the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd raised its holdings in COPT Defense Properties by 28.8% during the 3rd quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 35,052 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,019,000 after buying an additional 7,839 shares during the period. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV bought a new stake in COPT Defense Properties in the third quarter worth $212,000.

About COPT Defense Properties

COPT Defense Properties is a real estate investment trust. It acquires, develops, manages, sells, and leases out office properties and data centers. The firm operates through the following segments: Defense/Information Technology Locations, Regional Office, Wholesale Data Center, and Other. The company was founded on January 22,1988 and is headquartered in Columbia, MD.